Depp, Barrymore films lead pack at box office

LOS ANGELES {AP} It was an odd mix of kiss kiss, slash slash at the weekend box office as movie-goers split their attention between a 1960s chick flick and a tale of Victorian-era mass murder.

Johnny Depp's Jack the Ripper thriller "From Hell" debuted as the weekend's No. 1 movie with $11.3 million. "Riding in Cars With Boys," a tale of reluctant motherhood in the mid-1960s starring Drew Barrymore, opened a close second with $10.8 million.

The weekend's other new wide-release film, Robert Redford's military-prison drama "The Last Castle," was No. 5 with $7.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Training Day," the top film for the last two weekends, slipped to No. 3 with $9.5 million, pushing its total to $57.5 million. "Bandits," which opened at No. 2 a week ago, fell to fourth place with $8.4 million.

Though only half a million dollars separated the top two films, "From Hell" distributor 20th Century Fox gets bragging rights for winning the weekend. Ads proclaiming a film the No. 1 movie in America are a powerful marketing tool for Hollywood.

Some studios had expected their new films to perform better, with Sony hoping "Riding in Cars With Boys" would gross in the $12 million range and DreamWorks figuring "The Last Castle" would come in at about $10 million.